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Occasional Paper December 2004 n°56 Marcin Zaborowski From America’s protégé to constructive European Polish security policy in the twenty-first century published by the European Union Institute for Security Studies 43 avenue du Président Wilson F-75775 Paris cedex 16 phone: + 33 (0) 1 56 89 19 30 fax: + 33 (0) 1 56 89 19 31 e-mail: [email protected] www.iss-eu.org In January 2002 the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) was created as a Paris- based autonomous agency of the European Union. Following an EU Council Joint Action of 20 July 2001, it is now an integral part of the new structures that will support the fur- ther development of the CFSP/ESDP. The Institute’s core mission is to provide analyses and recommendations that can be of use and relevance to the formulation of EU policies. In carrying out that mission, it also acts as an interface between experts and decision-mak- ers at all levels. Occasional Papers are essays or reports that the Institute considers should be made avail- able as a contribution to the debate on topical issues relevant to European security. They may be based on work carried out by researchers granted awards by the EUISS, on contri- butions prepared by external experts, and on collective research projects or other activities organised by (or with the support of) the Institute. They reflect the views of their authors, not those of the Institute. Publication of Occasional Papers will be announced in the EUISS Newsletter and they will be available on request in the language - either English or French - used by authors. They will also be accessible via the Institute’s Website: www.iss-eu.org. The European Union Institute for Security Studies Paris Director: Nicole Gnesotto © EU Institute for Security Studies 2004. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the EU Institute for Security Studies ISSN 1608-5000 Published by the EU Institute for Security Studies and printed in Condé-sur-Noireau (France) by Corlet Imprimeur, Graphic design by Claire Mabille (Paris) Occasional Paper December 2004 n°56 by Marcin Zaborowski From America’s protégé to constructive European Polish security policy in the twenty-first century Marcin Zaborowski is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for International Relations, Warsaw, Poland, and Lecturer in European Politics at Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom. He was a visiting fellow at the EUISS earlier this year. 1 Contents Summary 3 1 Introduction 5 2 Understanding Poland’s ‘instinctive’ Atlanticism 7 3 Poland’s strategic culture: the past in the present 9 4 The Iraq war — from enthusiastic endorsement to disappointment 11 5 Polish policy towards CFSP and ESDP 17 6 Outlook: towards a committed European posture 25 2 Summary From America’s protégé to constructive European Following the events of 11 September 2001, Poland emerged as one of the United States’s key allies, arguably its protégé, in Central and Eastern Europe. The close affinity of interests on security matters between the United States and Poland became particularly apparent in Iraq, where Warsaw proved to be a strong and highly vocal supporter of Washington. However, at the same time, Poland has been progressively drawn into the internal workings of the EU, and as a consequence its perspectives on European security have evolved towards a more ‘EU-positive’ attitude. This, coupled with disappointment over the war in Iraq, has meant that Poland’s Atlanticism is increasingly questioned, with calls for a more pro-European attitude growing. This paper will reflect upon these debates and argue that Poland’s Atlanticism is indeed chang- ing. Focusing on the Iraq conflict and perspectives towards the EU’s security ambitions, this paper will show that Warsaw has strived to reconcile its Atlanticism with a concomitant engage- ment in the European Union’s CSFP and ESDP. The paper concludes that Poland’s Atlanti- cism is likely to be toned down in the future as Poland becomes more focused on developing its policies in an EU context and in cooperation with individual member states. 3 From America’s protégé to constructive European 4 1 Introduction ince the early 1990s Poland has emerged as choice that it did not want to make. Warsaw sub- S one of the United States’s closest allies, sequently based its response on two sorts of arguably its protégé, in Central and Eastern arguments, the first historical and the second a Europe. After Washington became dedicated to mixture of political and economic calculations pursuing the Eastern enlargement of NATO, based on a seemingly ‘rational’ cost-benefit America became the security guarantor that the assessment of the current situation. The first set Poles had craved since the late eighteenth cen- of considerations is deeply entrenched in Polish tury. For America, Poland represents a middle- strategic culture and as such it is unlikely to sized power whose successes with building change in the foreseeable future but the imme- democracy and market reforms after 1990 mark diate political calculations, which led Warsaw to it out from its regional peers, and especially become one of the United States’s closest allies from the states of former USSR. The United during the war in Iraq, could be challenged by a States also sees eye to eye with the Poles on a turn of events. It is argued here that this is whole range of foreign policy issues, which was exactly what has happened. The continuing lack illustrated when Warsaw readily contributed of stability and meagre prospects for implanting troops to Kosovo, Afghanistan and especially democracy in Iraq, as well as the evident failure Iraq where the Polish military contingent is the of Warsaw to secure some clear benefits from its third largest (after the United States and the loyalty towards the United States, prove that the United Kingdom) and Poland took formal immediate political and economic calculations responsibility for one of the occupation zones. that informed Warsaw’s Atlanticist choice dur- Consequently, especially in the period immedi- ing the Iraq crisis were overplayed or even mis- ately after 11 September 2001, Poland appeared guided. This development coincided with War- to be closer to the United States than many of its saw’s growing involvement in the EU – its partic- long-standing West European allies. Poland has ipation in the Convention drawing up the draft also been praised and branded in the United Constitutional Treaty and EU enlargement in States as a ‘new European,’ as opposed to the May 2004. Subsequently, Poland’s former status ‘old Europeans’ France and Germany, who as a ‘friend of America’ but an outsider in the opposed the United States’s policy on Iraq. context of the EU has been transformed, with However, as will be shown in this paper, Poland’s considerable implications for Warsaw’s attitude Atlanticism is becoming more questioning, and towards the European project. This has been evi- it is evolving in response to two major develop- dent in Warsaw’s increasingly positive attitude ments: Poland’s EU membership and disap- towards the deepening of the Common Foreign pointment with America’s leadership in Iraq. and Security Policy as well as developing the The crisis in transatlantic relations that European Security and Defence Policy, as was erupted post-9/11 presented Poland with a seen during the constitutional debate. 5 From America’s protégé to constructive European This paper will show how Poland, whilst involvement in Iraq has been unrewarding, lead- being an Atlanticist, is also, and increasingly so, ing to the weakening of the domestic consensus a committed member of the European Union. on the general direction of Polish foreign policy. These themes will be examined firstly by identi- The paper will also identify the evolution of fying what will be called here Poland’s ‘instinc- Poland’s attitude towards the CFSP and ESDP – tive Atlanticism’ in security matters, a predispo- from a rather sceptical to a more embracing and sition derivative of Polish strategic culture. This forthcoming attitude. Finally, the paper with instinctive Atlanticism will then be illustrated discuss the prospects for the further evolution by examining the Polish position on Iraq and, to of Poland’s foreign and security policy, inter alia a lesser extent, the EU’s CFSP and ESDP. The by considering the likely implications of the re- paper will, however, also argue that Poland’s election of George W. Bush. 6 2 Understanding Poland’s ‘instinctive’ Atlanticism olish-American relations have been consis- nificant by virtue of it being the largest military Ptently vibrant since the end of the Cold War, loan in memory,3 but importantly it demon- but particularly since Poland joined NATO in strated the unique closeness that has transpired 1999, when the United States singled Poland between the two states and illustrates too the out to be its most favoured partner in the East likely path the relationship was set to follow. To and began grooming Warsaw for this role in begin, Poland’s choice of procuring US rather earnest. In summer 2001 during President than European defence systems was a firm George W. Bush’s visit to Poland and then in the expression of Warsaw’s Atlanticist credentials. context of Polish President Aleksander Furthermore, as noted by the Polish Ambas- Kwasniewski’s time in the United States in July sador to the United States Przemyslaw Grudzin- 2002, the idea that Poland had become a ski, the purchase signified Poland’s desire to regional leader was promoted and fleshed out.